Psycho the Chief
by Little Nightfury17
Summary: We all think that the aftermath of an event is okay. But after Hiccup suffers from a stroke, he must go through a battle within himself to keep his sanity.
1. Chapter 1: Ghost Stories

A/N this story is not a part of the Noble Series

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Ghost Stories<strong>

_'This is Berk. __Were known for our leadership and strength. But what some people don't know is that greatness can't be great without the struggle. The same goes for both physical and mental struggle.'_

" And when he opened the door he saw massive shadows race out of the room. He began ta hear voices drift out of the now empty room. Suddenly the shadows started surrounding him. He screamed as loud as he could, but the shadows were mufflin' his voice. Before long, he was swallowed whole!" Luna watched as the pre-teens around the fire recoiled farther onto their seats. Dianca sat at the end of the row. To her, the story wasn't that scary. But it was having an affect on her. Every now and then she glanced at the deep, dark shadowy forest.

_'Please….find...me'_

Dianca gasped and looked in the direction that the voice came from. Her eyes widened with terror when she saw a shadow dart from tree to tree. She turned back to the group with her heart pounding in her chest. Hiccup, who had been sitting quietly, was now telling a ghost story. It was about a viking that was lost at sea during a terrible thunderstorm. He was pretty good at telling ghost story.

_'__He was a man of the people.'_

Dianca glanced back into the forest when she heard the echoing voice. _Stoick?_ she thought. A large shadow blocked out the base of a tree. She felt a hand brush her arm and she jumped back, falling out of her seat. Everyone stared at her.

"Ya okay Dianca?" Luna asked," Ya seem a little jumpy."

Dianca climbed back into her seat," Uh, y-yeah. I'm just tired."

"You know, since it seems like we're all tired. How about we turn it in?" Hiccup suggested. Dianca quickly climbed under her blanket and laid her head on her pillow. As the others drifted off into sleep Dianca tossed and turned. Voices slithered out of the darkening forest and into her ears. How could they possibly be sleeping when these voices were coming out of thin air?

_'__Dianca...what...a...beautiful girl.'_

A pair of yellow eyes poked through the darkness. A slight squeal escaped her throat as Dianca turned away and pulled the blanket over her head. She peered out just as a shadow rushed over the fire, putting it out. Dianca rose up and reached out her hand to wake up Hiccup. Her heart dropped when she felt nobody sleeping next to her. He was gone! Dianca bolted up and ran over to Luna. She shook her awake," Luna! Luna! Mr. Haddock is missing! The shadows got him!" Tears feel down her face as fear began to set in. The others arose. The other teens started to panic when they saw that their chief was nowhere to be seen.

"Alright, alright," Luna said reassuringly," nobody freak out. I'll go find him while you guys stay here."None of them wanted to be left alone, but Hiccup had to be found. And to be honest, they were too terrified to help look for him anyways. They sat down on the fallen tree huddled together as Luna took off into the starless night.

Dianca tried to not look around, for fear that she'll see another shadow. She gulped. A shiver ran down her spine as a cold breeze drifted in. "What do you think happened to him?" the girl next to her asked.

"The shadows got him," Dianca told the others," I know. I saw them out there in the forest. A-And I heard voices too. It just like Luna's story."

" Oh please Dianca, it was just a story," Iggy said. The older girl tried not to quake in her boots," B-Besides, those voices were obviously just in your head." A twig snapped a few feet in front of them and they all jumped at least ten feet into the air. When they squinted their eyes they saw a shadowy mist appear from the darkness. The yellow eyes from before appeared in the mist, a slight growl come from the same direction. Dianca jumped out of her seat when the boys and girls next to her screamed. Then she heard then turn and run into the forest," Wait! We're suppose to stay here!" Dianca tried to stay put like she was told to, but she found herself swinging her legs over the log and taking off in the same direction as the others went.

Dianca ran blindly through the forest with her heart beating out her chest and tears running down her face. She didn't hear any voices or saw any shadows she kept running. Dianca busted through the bushes and somehow found herself back with her friends.

A bush rustled behind her and Dianca threw herself into her friend's arms. They saw a large figure stand up. It had no eyes from what they saw. And three long spikes stuck out above and below it's face. It got down on it's four and crept closer to them. The young vikings heard it growl and they stepped back. Then it lunged towards them," Raa!" The teens let out a loud scream. But then Dianca realized that she knew that voice. "Chief?" she asked. The beast before them stopped and sat back on it's heels. Then it removed it's spiked head. It was Hiccup!The teens stood there in a stunned silence.

Hiccup chuckled," We got you guys."

"We?" Iggy wondered.

"Raa!" The teens screamed and jumped forward. When they looked back they saw Luna standing there laughing her head off.

"What the heck?" Dianca breathed in hard.

Luna walked up and sat next to Hiccup," Aww come on Dianca, it was just a prank."

"Wait, how did you even do all that stuff in the forest? The shadows. The voices." one of the boys asked.

"I'm gettin' pretty good with my psychic abilities huh?" Luna asked with a bit of pridefulness.

"Pretty good," Hiccup admitted. The teens glared at the two friends," Oh come on. It wasn't that bad."

"Yeah, it only stopped our hearts for five minutes," Iggy said sarcastically.

"Are you wearing your mom's old dragon suit?" one of the other girls asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup said, "it was Luna's idea." After Hiccup and Luna were able to get the teens to smile again the returned to the village.


	2. Chapter 2: Stroke

**Chapter Two: Stroke**

The last two weeks for Hiccup have been nothing but two things; stress and work. He's been flying and running all over the village. After marrying Fishlegs and Ruffnut at noon Hiccup helped Sven rebuild his ship. As he picked up the wood and placed them where they were they were suppose to go, Hiccup felt his whole left side go numb. He tried to ignore it so he could finish the task at hand. Hiccup reached out with his left hand and picked up a hammer.

The hammer slipped out of his hand. Hiccup reached down to pick it back up, he realized that his whole left arm was completely numb. He tried to move it but every time he did pain shot through him. He stood up but quickly sat back down, he almost fell over. Hiccup felt his left leg with his right arm, and it was just as numb. Toothless walked up to his friend and nudged his shoulder. The dragon crooned. Hiccup patted his head.

Slowly the numbness faded away. Hiccup moved his arm and leg around. He signed with relief when no pain came," That was weird. Wasn't it?" He looked at Toothless.

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><p>Astrid strolled through the village with her dragon's saddle tucked under her arm. She looked around and when she spotted Luna she rushed over to her and patted her forearm. "Hey, have you seen Hiccup?"<p>

Luna bent down so she would be close to Astrid's eye level, " Well, I pretty sure that your husband is busy now. But if ya need somethin' I'm here." Luna glanced down and saw the saddle tucked under Astrid's arm," Oh no! What happened?"

"Two dragons got into a bit of a scuffle. And her saddle was in the middle," Astrid showed Luna the saddle, revealing the damage," I was actually hoping that he knew where Fishlegs was."

"I think he's in the workshop," Luna guessed," ya know, Fishlegs is a good blacksmith. But I do miss Gobber."

"I miss him too," Astrid agreed," well, thanks. See ya."

"Later," Luna called out as she watched her friend walk away.

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><p>Hiccup flew on Toothless and helped a farmer heard his sheep back into their pen. He'll have to have a talking to Tuffnut later. When the sheep were all rounded up Toothless flew off to another part of the village so Hiccup could complete yet another task. Suddenly the buildings in front of Hiccup got very blurry. Hiccup rubbed his eyes. Toothless tried to fly up so he could avoid the roofs of the buildings. But since Hiccup wasn't paying attention, Toothless smacked right into them. Hiccup stopped rubbing his eyes and controlled the tail fin so Toothless could dodge them. Toothless flew up and over the buildings and landed in an opening.<p>

"You okay?" Dianca asked as she walked up.

"Yea, it's just my eyes got really blurry there for some reason," Hiccup told her.

"Maybe you should get some rest," Dianca suggested.

Hiccup shook his head," Na, I'll be fine." Toothless flew off into the sky.

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><p>Snotlout flew over the forest looking around for someone. When he glanced over to his right he saw Luna rolling around and enjoying the wild Dragon nip. Hookfang hovered just above it.<p>

"What the heck are you doing?" he asked.

Luna glanced up at him," Dragon nip, what's wrong with that?"

"I thought that if Dragon nip was directly in from of your nose it'd make you sneeze," Snotlout wondered.

"Yea, but not if my nose is blocked," Luna revealed that her nostrils were covered up by a red cloth," come on, don't judge me. I'm bored. What else am I gonna do all day?"

Snotlout rolled his eyes," Whatever. Have you seen Hiccup? I need to cut some wood but I need a new axe."

Luna rolled over and stood up," I can cut the wood for ya. I might not be related to the Timberjack but my wings can cut full grown trees just like them."

Snotlout thought for a second," Sure, I guess." Luna and Hookfang took off.

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><p>The day had almost come to an end. Hiccup walked into the workshop holding his head. When Fishlegs saw this he stopped what he was working on and walked over to him," Are you alright?"<p>

"Not really" Hiccup responded," I've been dizzy since this afternoon." He sat down.

"Have you been standing up to quickly?" Fishlegs asked.

"I haven't had time to sit down," Hiccup chuckled," I'm glad the day's almost over. I'm gonna go home and lay down."

"Feel better," Hiccup heard Fishlegs called out as he left. The sun was barely peeking over the roofs of the houses by the time Hiccup had made it to this house. On the way there he started having trouble staying balanced. Luckily, Toothless offered to help him out. When they got to the steps Hiccup stopped and grabbed his chest. It felt heavy and very painful. His breathing was rapid and choppy. When Hiccup looked at Toothless everything was blurry. His best friend looked at him with consarn. Then Hiccup's legs gave out. He fell to the ground and laid there unconscious. Toothless roared out and frantically nudged Hiccup's shoulder. A crowd gathered around their fallen chief. A large viking tried to wake Hiccup.

"Somebody get Luna!" he called out.


	3. Chapter 3: Nigthmare

**Chapter Three: Nightmare**

_Hiccup stood on a small island in the middle of nowhere. He looked around. Waves crashed and lightning flashed. But no sound came. Dead silence. Suddenly fire draped the ground. It too burned with no noise. Then Hiccup did hear a sound. A massive black shadow rose up out of the ground behind him. It growled. When Hiccup turned around his heart almost stopped. The Red Death glared at him. She wasn't to happy to see him again. Fear began to overwhelm Hiccup, he began to back up, "Y-Your suppose to be dead." The Red Death reared back and lunged for him. Hiccup's screams echoed into nothingness. _

Hiccup bolted upward. He breathed heavily. When he calmed his racing heart he saw that he was inside Luna's house on a stone bed. "Hiccup! Oh thank Thor!" Astrid got up from her seat beside him and hugged his neck. Hiccup placed is hand on her back. Luna sat nearby.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You had a stroke," Luna told him. Hiccup was positive that he misheard her.

"W-What?" he stuttered.

Astrid pulled away from him," You really did have one. All the stress you've had for the past two weeks caused it. The numbness, dizziness, blurry vision. Those were signs that you were going to have a stroke."

"Hiccup, if all those things were happenin' to ya, ya should of come ta me," Luna said.

"Yea but," Hiccup rubbed his head," I didn't know that all those things were related to each other."

"Even if your unsure about somethin' ya should still come to me," Hiccup nodded in agreement.

"H-how long have I been out?" Hiccup asked. His breathing breathing was getting better than it was before.

"Four days," Astrid said," I've got to go. I'll be back." Astrid kissed Hiccup's forehead then got up. She reluctantly climbed up the spiral stair to the outside world. Hiccup re positioned his right leg to a more comfortable spot.

"I'm gonna get some food," Luna said to break the silence," your probably hungry." She turned to leave.

"Luna," the half dragon looked back at Hiccup," I-I can't move my left leg."

Luna's eyes widened with shock," What?" She quickly trotted over and removed the blanket that was laid over Hiccup's legs," T-Try to see if ya can lift it."

"...I can't even fell it," Hiccup said after trying.

Luna stepped back a bit," Hiccup...your paralyzed."

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><p>Astrid zipped down the stairs faster than a Speed Stinger. She had to of misheard Luna. Hiccup's leg couldn't be paralyzed. Right? "Hiccup, is it true!?" she skidded to a stop right in front of Hiccup's bed.<p>

"You could set it one fire and i wouldn't feel it," Hiccup told her. Tears began to blur her vision. "Now come on. Don't cry," Hiccup gestured for Astrid to come sit down next to him," before Luna left to get you she told me that paralysis was a possible after effect of a stroke."

"Well that's a stupid after effect!" Astrid almost shouted," How can a stroke cause your leg to become paralyzed?"

"A stroke happens when blood flow to a part of the brain stops," Hiccup and Astrid looked behind them to see Luna, with the others, stepping in," If blood flow is stopped for longer than a few seconds, the brain cannot get blood and oxygen. Brain cells can die, causing permanent damage. Hiccup's stroke was a Thrombotic stroke. That stroke happens when there's a blood clot in the brain." Luna sat down," Luckily I removed it before it could do more damage. With a a little surgery." Hiccup touched the back of his head and felt parts of his hair shaved off and the stitched from the surgery. "How it causes paralysis is a bit complected to explain," Luna finished.

"Well Hiccup can't stay paralyzed," Fishlegs walked farther into the room," How will he walk or ride on Toothless?" Everyone looked at Luna.

"Why's everybody lookin' at me?" Luna didn't like all the eyes on her.

"You are a genius when it comes to medical stuff like this, what do we do? How do we help cure the paralysis?" Astrid asked." Luna avoid eye contact with them.

"You don't know how to cure paralysis, do you?" Hiccup broke the silence.

"...No," Luna flattened her ears and looked away sheepishly.

Astrid stood up," How can you not know how to cure paralysis? Your medical knowledge is high."

Luna looked back at them," Despite the high achievements in medicine of the noble class we really weren't able ta find the cure for paralysis. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Hiccup stood up straighter in his bed,"you can't really learn something if it hasn't been discovered yet." Luna smiled at Hiccup.

"So...what are we going to do?" Astrid asked.

"I say we just chop it off," Everyone looked at Snotlout," What? That's what they did to his foot."

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><p>Fishlegs, Astrid, and Toothless helped Hiccup back to his house. By that time the moon dominated the starry sky. When he was finally in bed and Astrid and Toothless were downstairs, Hiccup rolled over in his bed. He faced away from the door as tears slipped out of his eyes. Is this really happening? It all had to be a dream. Hiccup prayed a silent prayer to the Gods that this nightmare would be over before he knew it. And with that, Hiccup drifted off into sleep.<p>

_Hiccup ran through the darkening forest. Voices blasted through the tree at him. He glanced back and saw shadowy figures dart after him. Hiding behind the trees. Red eyes peered out them. Hiccup tripped over a tree root and smacked into the ground. Suddenly the forest was replaced with rings of fire that burned as hot as a Fireworm. Hiccup stood up but quickly fell back down. When he looked back he was horrified. His entire left leg was gone! _

_Then Hiccup felt a massive presence in front of him. He dared himself and looked forward. The Red Death, which was bigger than it was in the last dream, reared up and roared a terrible, painful roar. Hiccup covered his ears but it did little good. Then a bright light flashed to his left. When Hiccup looked over was almost stopped breathing. Dad? he thought. Stoick the Vast stood there staring at his son. Hiccup opened his mouth and found that no words came out. Suddenly Stoick turned and faded away. No, dad wait! Hiccup thought. Then Hiccup looked up as the Red Death roared and rose it's paw into the air. Then it dropped it onto Hiccup. _

"Hiccup, wake up!" a distant voice called out. _Dad?_ Hiccup thought again. When he opened his eyes he saw his wife look down on him with a worried face. He slowly stood up in his bed. A shadow darted in the corner. Hiccup gasped. "What is it?" Astrid asked.

"Ah, nothing." Hiccup wasn't sure if he really saw something just now," just a bad dream."

"Must of been some nightmare then. You were screaming in your sleep," Astrid informed him.

_I was?_ Hiccup turned to face Astrid," Yea but, I can only remember seeing my dad. Nothing else."

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><p><em>I felt like i got really creative in the end there. This is only the beginning of Hiccup's true nightmare. Keep reading to see how it all ends. So please, review!<em>


	4. Chapter 4: Symptoms

**Chapter Four: Symptoms **

The news of Hiccup's paralysis _shocked _the village. All the vikings came over each day and gave him portions of their crops. But despite the warm gestures Hiccup spent most of the next two weeks locked away in the master bedroom. Luna informed everyone that depression was a side effect of the stroke. With the bedroom door locked Astrid slept downstairs. But without the sleep. She couldn't remember how many times she was jolted awake by Hiccup screaming about the Red Death. Each time she ran up the stair and talked to him through the door. She did her best to support him through this. One thing that she found to be strange that Hiccup would be screaming that the Red Death was trying to kill him but when he woke up, all he could remember seeing was his father. Astrid tried to put two and two together but she couldn't fit the puzzle pieces together.

The sun peeked through the holes in the hatch in the roof. But who said it was a good morning? Hiccup laid huddled in one corner of his bed. His tired and watery eyes stared at the wall. Hiccup was kept up all night by darting shadows and echoing voices that came from nowhere. Hiccup wiped away the tears from his eyes and rose up slowly. Silence. No shadows or voices came. Or were they ever really there? Hiccup heard purring come from the other side of the large bed. He cautiously crept over, "Sharpshot?" The Terrible Terror crooned and wagged his tail. Hiccup saw a note attached to his leg. He went to reach for it but it was suddenly on his bed in front of him. He picked it up and heard Sharpshot make a noise. The little green dragon sniffed the floor around him. Then he stared up and Hiccup and cocked his head. Hiccup barely moved forward when the dragon quickly dashed under his bed. Hiccup moved the blankets out of the way and looked under the bed. Nothing.

"Hiccup...if your up I've made breakfast," Astrid's voice chimed in. Hiccup stared at the note in his hands. Daring himself if he should open it or not. After a short while he unrolled it.

_'Lesson one: A chief's first duty is to his people.'_

Hiccup was surprized to see this. Stoick was the one who told him that. Was the great chief trying to tell him something from beyond the grave? Hiccup looked up from the note when he heard villagers outside walking and talking. He glanced back at the note to see that it was gone. Hiccup threw the blankets off the bed in hopes that it would reappear. _Or was I just trying to tell myself that I need to do my job?_ Hiccup thought. The young chief turned his head and looked at the door on the opposite side of the bed. Hiccup fought with himself if he should leave or not. He let out a long sign and scooted back over to the side of the bed that was closest to the door. It was only a few feet away but to Hiccup, it felt like it was standing a mile away from him. He took a deep breath as he held onto the edge of the headboard. Hiccup hoisted himself up and out of the bed. He took a step. He quickly grabbed the headboard for support, obviously forgetting about his dead leg. He shifted his weight to his right leg as he hopped over to the door.

Hiccup held onto the doorknob for dear life as he hesitated on if he should open it. A million things ran through his head. What would they think of him? The son of a great man left disabled at the start of his chiefdom. They'd make fun of him, laugh at him. Hiccup shook his head and mentally slapped himself for thinking in such a way. He slowly turned the doorknob and they door creaked opened. And a very special someone was there to greet him. Toothless looked at his best friend with welcoming eyes. The dragon bowed his head a placed Hiccup's left arm on top of his head. And for the first time in days, Hiccup smiled. He was delighted to see that no matter what life threw at him Toothless would always be there to aid him.

The two friends walked as one down the dusty hallway and climbed down the stairs. "Whoa," the kitchen table was littered with foods of all kind. Some of which Hiccup had never seen before. The fresh food teased Hiccup by making their scent snake over to him and enticed the man to sit down. Hiccup's stomach growled loudly throughout the empty house. All that food seemed a bit much for breakfast. Toothless aided Hiccup as they walked over to the wooden table. As he sat down Hiccup noticed something leaning against the one of the legs of the table. He bent down and picked it up. He was surprized to see that it was crutch. It was beautifully hand made by wood from an Oak tree. Hiccup saw that a note was attached to it.

_"Dianca and her friends had asked me to make something for you so you'd be able to walk again. It may not be much but I hope you get better."_

_-Fishlegs_

Hiccup greatly appreciated the gift his friend had made for him. He set it aside and gazed down at the food that stared back at him. They all smelt and looked so good. Where could he even start? Hiccup looked at Toothless and Toothless looked at Hiccup. They smiled. Hiccup felt a heavy weight lift off his shoulders as the day began shinning brighter than ever before.

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><p>Astrid paced back and forth in front of her house. Her mind racing a mile an minute. She just didn't understand. First a stroke, now this. Why did all these things had to happen now? Hiccup was so young, almost twenty-three. And he just became chief. "Maybe that's why," Astrid said to herself. She knew first hand how Hiccup worked night and day to aid the people of Berk. That's where all the stress came from. Astrid stopped pacing and looked towards Cloujumper and Stormfly. They snored away in their separate pens next to the house. The house. She gazed up at the sturdy structure. Hiccup had built it just for her on the day he proposed to her. It wouldn't be fair to say that he built it <em>all<em> by himself. Toothless and Cloudjumper were very helpful.

Astrid noted the little details that made the house unique. The little dragon sketches decked the rails along each side of the stairs. The well crafted wooden Nadder head poked out just above the door. A long metal chain laid gently in the mouth. Both ends of the chain hung out of the mouth and each end that hung in the air held onto a section of the thin piece of wood that danced every time the wind blew. _Haddocks_ was perfectly carved into it. Stating that this mighty house belong to the Haddock clan. The same clan that has led Berk to greatness since the humble beginnings. Astrid was happy to take it as her last name. She wore it proudly like a badge of honor.   
><span>

Astrid touched the smooth wooden rails and wiped away the tears that threatened to surface. She wasn't one to cry easily but seeing the man she love suffer through all this was eating at her insides. Hiccup had always thought of and did things for others, not worrying what would happen to him. It was a trait that passed down to him by his dad. But Hiccup had a special way of making it his own. It's one of the reasons why she loved him. But now look at where it's gotten him. Astrid huffed and walked up the steps. When she opened the door the surprize she got almost made her heart stop.

Hiccup sat in the large chair at the end of the table taking a bite out of every food he could reach. He does have table manners but it looked as if a twister had gone crazy on the table. Maybe it was the lack of food in the passed few days is what was driving this wild feeding. Hiccup's right hand dashed from food to food while his left one prevented Toothless from snatching a bite.

"Hiccup," he looked up to see Astrid standing in the doorway with tears streaming down her face. She raced forward and crashed into him, tears soaking his shirt. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Hiccup dropped the food he was eating and hugged her tightly. He missed her so badly. As his human was distracted Toothless snatched away some food and trotted over to the end of the room. He nibbled on it.

Astrid released Hiccup and wiped away tears. "I didn't think you were the type to cry so easily," Hiccup joked. Astrid would have punched him for saying that but she knew it meant that he was better than before.

"It's just that I didn't expect to see you out of the room," she said.

"Yea, well somebody was telling me to get up," Hiccup said absent mindlessly.

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><p>After the big breakfast had ended Hiccup picked up the crutch. He placed it under his arm and stopped balancing on his right leg. It proved to be strong. Hiccup opened the door the bright sun forced him to cover his eyes. He was hesitant on going outside. having the crutch was something he would have to get use to. He felt kind of embarrassed to have it anyways.<p>

But everybody acted like the crutch wasn't even there. They welcomed their chief back and wished him well. The villagers did noticed that Hiccup looked awfully tired. The wrinkles under this eyes, the tiredness in his voice when he spoke, and the slow pace in his walk was evidence enough to prove that he hasn't had any sleep. The day went on as normal. As Hiccup walked towards the Great Hall for a meeting, something he didn't miss while sulking in his room, Toothless jumped out in front of him," What is it Toothless?" The night fury roared out and turned his body horizontally to his best friend. His eyes gesturing for him to climb onto his back. "No, Toothless. I don't have time to go flying right now. Maybe later," Hiccup continued his walk. Toothless jumped out in front of Hiccup and repeated his action and that's when it clicked in Hiccup's head," You wanna carry me?" Toothless' ears perked up and he made a small noise, happy to see that Hiccup finally understood," That's thoughtful bud, but I think I'll be fine walking," Toothless flattened his ears and glared at Hiccup.

Hiccup continued to the Great Hall but Toothless stopped him again. This repeated three or four more times before Hiccup was able to slip pass his dragon and make it to the stairs. He stared at them. Were there always that many steps? Hiccup looked back at Toothless," Uh...I'll take that piggyback ride after all." Toothless happily carried his rider as he skipped up the many steps. He helped him down and followed him inside.

The meeting went on normally. But Hiccup wouldn't be able to back that up. He sat towards the middle of the group to get a clear view of the speaker. But he often found himself staring at other vikings or gazing up at the many paintings that hung on the walls. "Hiccup," the young chief snapped his attention back to the meeting and saw that all eyes were on him.

"Uh, sorry, Hiccup rubbed the back of his head where Luna shaved parts of his hair off," I've been having trouble paying attention all day." Hiccup laid his head on the table.

The man who had been speaking looked at Hiccup with his gentle blue eyes," Don't worry about it Hiccup. We know your goin' through some hard times right now. And we pray that you get better soon." He paused for a moment," you know, since I have your attention right now, what's your thought about expanding the village?"

Hiccup raised his head," Expand?" The man turned towards the map behind him so he could explain.

" As you can see here on this map the village is sitting on this gentle slope of land. And every day it's grows bigger and bigger," the man began," I thought that it would be best if we expand the village to the spots here and here." He pointed to the empty slopes of land that laid east and west to Berk. "We could connect by building long bridges and make landing spots for the dragons." The men in the room thought over the idea. But one thing popped in Hiccup's mind almost immediately.

"What about the wild dragons?" he asked," Every inch we take is an inch of open area we take form them."

"Nothin' to worry about," the man said," no dragons live on these patches of land. I've checked each one two times over. We won't be harmin' them at all." The larger vikings began to chat away at the wonderful thought. But then Hiccup started to feel his heart race. His breathing became more rapid, desperate for more air. Anxiety, yet another wonderful side effect of a stroke, crept up on him like a predator stalking its prey. Toothless sensed this and walked up to Hiccup. He sat his broad head on top of Hiccup's shoulders and began to nudge him in a hugging like manner. Hiccup looked at the night fury. Those big, green, and trustful eyes KO the anxiety and Hiccup's breathing returned to normal. He hugged the big head next to him," Thanks bud."

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><p>The meeting had ended with good words, Berk will expand to the lands that sat next door starting next week. The villagers couldn't be more excited, or at least express it anymore. Hiccup however, was far to exhausted to show his excitement. He could remember overhearing his father on how he wished to see the village expand. Now that wish was coming true. Hiccup sauntered quit sluggishly towards his house. He gazed up at it and gave a tired smile. Something at the back of his head had started eating at him. Hiccup looked down at his useless leg. Why did all this had to happen to him now? He was just starting the rest of his life. But Hiccup was to tired to try to figure it out. He stared up at the name plate that hug above the front door. Hiccup rubbed his eyes and looked back up at them. The words that spelled out his last name seemed foreign to him. But they were written in the viking alphabet.<p>

He snapped out of his trance when he felt Toothless nudge at his elbow. Hiccup patted Toothless' head and began to walk up the stairs. Toothless jogged over to the basket of fish that waited for him. Hiccup climbed up the stairs that lead to the second story. When he got to the end of the hall and shoved his door opened he dropped the crutch while falling onto his side of the bed. A sign escaped his throat as he wrapped his arms around the soft pillow. Hiccup opened his eyes and glanced around the semi-dark room. No shadow, no voices. He removed his wingsuit and prosthetic and let them fall to the floor. Hiccup pulled the blankets over his head as he began to feel the sweet relief of the sandman's sleep spell get cast over him. He slowly shut his eyes. And thankfully, no nightmare decided to make a repeat performance.

* * *

><p>A few days had passed without any problems for Hiccup. Except maybe a couple of headaches now and then. Luna on the other hand, could have been better. She's been up day and night trying to make medical history and help give her friend the use of his leg back. She paced back and forth, hoping that an idea would surface. But she was drawing a blank. Luna stopped pacing and took a drink from her springs. She glanced back at the stairs when she heard someone rush down them. It was Toothless. And he was freaking out. " Whoa!Whoa! What's wrong Toothless?" Luna saw the desperate plea in the dragon's eyes. As if she read his mind, which she can do but didn't, she knew <em>who <em>was in trouble.


End file.
